Prophets: Cowboys in the City

Prophets are the unwelcome cowboys of God who make their way into the city. They come into the world as a most peculiar bunch. The grit that naturally accompanies them seems almost other-worldly. They have dirt under their fingernails because they've got their hands in the earth like Yahweh. They snarl at a Thomas Kinkade painting because his paintings don't tell the truth. Prophets are storytelling folk artists - bending copper, wire, rebar, and sheet metal into roosters who crow at 4:00 AM – "WAKE. THE HELL. UP!" 

They're disinterested in playing it safe and keeping everyone comfortable in their skin. Words of "woe", "destruction", "wrath", "repentance", and "judgment" are frequently on their lips. A prophet laments when everyone else is well into their cup at a party. A prophet is lonely in a crowd. A prophet stays awake when everyone else sleeps. Outwardly they appear unkempt, but that's because inwardly, their souls are purified and polished by the Spirit of God himself.

They're the truth-telling sort of men and women that make good, honest, church-going people quite nervous. Like the sledgehammer in the shed out back, they're not much to look at, are easily forgotten, and are heavy, dull tools of weight. Prophets disrupt the status quo precisely because it is the status quo. Their diets are meager, their clothing is entirely out of fashion, and their language is so holy that it sounds crass to soft ears, indifferent hearts, and hardened consciences. 

They are disregarded as unsophisticated, untimely, podunks from backwater towns and the scoffers in elite cities make sport of their so-called "calling." The forerunner to Jesus ate insects and spoke truth to power and lost his head for it at strip party. When Jesus spoke of the prophets, he emphasized not their religion but their rejection. 

They were sad men and women for every reason under the sun. Why? To have a call from God Almighty - why does that come with such a depressing tax? Because that is the nature of truth in a society that loves lying. It is sad precisely because there is always a counter-argument. But it's not just a counter-argument; the rejection always comes with scoffing, name-calling, and questions surrounding their own mental and emotional health. After all, who marries a prostitute? What kind of wild man stands at the intersections of culture that rage over defunding the police, Planned Parenthood, and the possibility of delaying an election and continues to shout those two words that make everyone blush – Jesus saves? 

The prophets love Johnny Cash, not only because of his wit or creativity with country music… It's because he wears black. Cash and the Tennessee Two had something to say no matter if it were on the radio or playing for free food at the local honky-tonk. The prophets had a fire in their bones, truth on their minds, and vision for God's people to be who they already were. They drive the people of God to stop pandering to the world around them because they know that when compared to Jesus, the very best this world has to offer is a Jack in the Box drive-thru and one night stay at Motel 6. 

In a world that loves vague sentimentalities, the prophets are despised because they are too loud, too clear, and too straight forward on loving your neighbor and pursuing justice in the name of God. 

Politicians can't buy the prophets. These cowboys of God didn't choose their occupation for their ego to be stroked by paparazzi, fanboys, and invitations to the local reindeer games.

Prophets are content with being resented like a barking dog in the middle of the night. 

Prophets are men and women who count the cost and are willing to say the truth come hell or high water, and they damn well know it's coming. 

Ezekiel was lying on his side by the campfire in a fever-trance. Hosea was found at the auction block of Gomer. Jeremiah's sadness was seen in his bloodshot eyes.

Prophets don't get invited to parties, but when they do, they're the butt of every joke. Among the self-righteous religious crowd, the prophets aren't taken seriously; they're donkeys, and all the crowd hears is "HEE HAW" when they pray. These lightning bolts from heaven are the grace of God in a world set on fire by hell. We would do ourselves, the world around us, and most certainly, God himself a great service to listen to the cowboys and donkeys. More often than not, they're the ones through whom God is speaking.

Walter Brueggemann on Generosity

“On Generosity

On our own, we conclude: 

there is not enough to go around

we are going to run short

of money

of love

of grades

of publications

of sex

of beer

of members

of years

of life

we should seize the day

seize our goods

seize our neighbours goods

because there is not enough to go around

and in the midst of our perceived deficit

you come

you come giving bread in the wilderness

you come giving children at the 11th hour

you come giving homes to exiles

you come giving futures to the shut down

you come giving easter joy to the dead

you come – fleshed in Jesus.

and we watch while

the blind receive their sight

the lame walk

the lepers are cleansed

the deaf hear

the dead are raised

the poor dance and sing

we watch

and we take food we did not grow and

life we did not invent and

future that is gift and gift and gift and

families and neighbours who sustain us

when we did not deserve it.

It dawns on us – late rather than soon-

that you “give food in due season

you open your hand

and satisfy the desire of every living thing.”

By your giving, break our cycles of imagined scarcity

override our presumed deficits

quiet our anxieties of lack

transform our perceptual field to see

the abundance………mercy upon mercy

blessing upon blessing.

Sink your generosity deep into our lives

that your muchness may expose our false lack

that endlessly receiving we may endlessly give

so that the world may be made Easter new,

without greedy lack, but only wonder,

without coercive need but only love,

without destructive greed but only praise

without aggression and invasiveness….

all things Easter new…..

all around us, toward us and

by us

all things Easter new.

Finish your creation, in wonder, love and praise. Amen.

”

— Walter Brueggmann, Inscribing the Text: Sermons and Prayers of Walter Brueggemann  p. 3-4.

Sheriff Tom Bell

“I had two dreams about him after he died. I dont remember the first one all that well but it was about meetin him in town somewheres and he give me some money and I think I lost it. But the second one it was like we was both back in older times and I was on horseback goin through the mountains of a night. Goin through this pass in the mountains. It was cold and there was snow on the ground and he rode past me and kept on goin. Never said nothin. He just rode on past and he had this blanket wrapped around him and he had his head down and when he rode past I seen he was carryin fire in a horn the way people used to do and I could see the horn from the light inside of it. About the color of the moon. And in the dream I knew that he was goin on ahead and that he was fixin to make a fire somewhere out there in all that dark and all that cold and I knew that whenever I got there he would be there. And then I woke up.”

— Cormac McCarthy, No Country for Old Men, pp. 308-309.

Steward Your Strength

“As the world rocks and reels
All of us are on our tippy toes or on our heels.
Some are eager, peering over the fence pondering what’s to come
Others are knocked back in great sadness of what’s already been done.

To find yourself flat-footed in a wobbly world today is miraculous as Peter standing there on the water, dumbstruck by the Carpenter-Messiah.

If you walk out your door in confidence with broad shoulders and your chin as high as a flagpole, remember that you’re one of the few these days.

Express your gratitude to God because you know that the peace you feel is a grace from above. Be on the lookout for the downtrodden man who is at the end of his rope. You won’t have to look too far before you find him. When you see him, throw your strong arm around his shoulder, look him boldly in the eyes and remind him that he’s still the beloved of God.

Steward your strength. The world needs it now more than ever.”

So Much Wrong & So Much Right

“What do you do with the mad that you feel?”

— Fred Rogers

There is so much wrong with the world. Every single direction we look, we see fear, rage, and injustice. What once felt so certain has suddenly evaporated right before our very eyes. What are we becoming? The disorientation isn’t just in the headlines; it is swirling around in each of our minds. In moments of genuine despair, if we pray, we pray very honestly. “Have you fallen asleep at the wheel of the universe?” “Do you even care about what is happening down here?” “If you’re there, please come through!”

At the same time, there is so much right with the world. Every single direction we look we see people laughing, the kitchen smells of something wonderful, and you just rediscovered an old favorite song. People are learning to get along in new ways, and if you’re paying attention, you will sometimes find a sudden grin on your face while sitting traffic. Where did that come from? It came from Grace. If you remember to pray at that moment, it is usually a short prayer; two words – “Thank You.”

“And what a good feeling to feel like this
And know that the feeling is really mine.”

— Fred Rogers

A Morning (Neighbor) Prayer

While laying in bed, before your feet touch the ground... 

Lift your hands, stretch them out toward the ceiling, and pray….

“ You have entrusted me with these hands. Help me to use them as I work today in whatever is before me for your glory and the blessing of my neighbor.”

Close your eyes and pray…

“You have given me eyes to see your creation and my neighbor. Help me to look away from all that is not of you and to look for the holy in each moment. ”

As you sit up and look down at your feet pray….

“ You have given me feet to carry me throughout the day. Let me not pass by my neighbor on the other side of the street but rather to walk toward those in need with compassion in my heart.”

As you look in the mirror seeing your ears, nose, and mouth, pray…

“You’ve given me ears to listen to music, to the birds, and to my neighbor. Help me be a listener today. You’ve given me a nose to smell with. Let me not pass by the flowers and fragrances of the day as though they’re common. You’ve given me a mouth both to taste and to speak. Let the words I speak today bring peace, healing, and comfort to my neighbor.”

Who You Are

“You are a new creation in Christ
You are hidden with Christ in God
You have a sound mind
You are not condemned
You are Abba’s child
”

— (2 Cor. 5:17, Col. 3:3, 2 Tim. 1:7, Rom. 8:1; 8:15)

And He Called His Name Jesus

“And he [Joseph] called his name Jesus.”

— Matthew 1:25b

Who is this holy wild man who trusts in visions of angels and his beloved Mary’s news about the Christ whom she was to birth and they were to raise? Joseph is one of the most important figures in the entire New Testament and yet he is rarely mentioned. After the birth of Jesus, he more or less fades out of the picture. I wonder how he felt about that as the shadows of his own life lengthened?

There in the stable with buzzing flies and puffing beasts, I imagine Joseph held the Baby just like every other Daddy. The experience is filled with wonder, hope, and expectation. At the same time, a knee-buckling, gut-wrenching, time-stopping holiness must’ve filled the air, his heart, and dreams. “Jesus." He was to call him “Jesus.” Not "Moses”, not “Isaiah.” Not even “Joseph Jr.” That name… Jesus is a beautiful name. A cleansing name. A haunting name. A saving name.

It is also a name that is easy to forget. We forget about him but not because the Father didn’t glorify him or because he failed at his mission while here on the Earth. We tend to forget and take for granted those we love the most. “I’ll call my brother tomorrow.” Forgetting to make eye contact with your spouse. Squeezing five more minutes into work while your son waits to throw the ball. When we forget someone it isn’t always because we don’t love them. In fact, it is often because they have loved us so well, extended grace so often, and have always been happy just to be together.

After laying Jesus in the manger, I’m certain Joseph must’ve walked outside, looked up at the stars, let out a sigh, and whispered, “Jesus.” I wonder if in his last minutes if he whispered it again before crossing into Paradise? I imagine he did so with a grin on his face.

Keith Anderson on Listening

“Listening is the way we are present to time, to self, to another, to God. Listening is not something you can do in retrospect–it is not remembering; listening is the way we attend to here and now in the fullness of time.”

— Keith Anderson, Reading Your Life’s Story: An Invitation to Spiritual Mentoring, p. 130.

Buechner on Grace

“Life is grace. Sleep is forgiveness. The night absolves. Darkness wipes the slate clean, not spotless to be sure, but clean enough for another day’s chalking.
”

— Frederick Buechner, The Alphabet of Grace

Nouwen on Compassion

“Compassion asks us to go where it hurts, to enter into the places of pain, to share in brokenness, fear, confusion, and anguish. Compassion challenges us to cry out with those in misery, to mourn with those who are lonely, to weep with those in tears. Compassion requires us to be weak with the weak, vulnerable with the vulnerable, and powerless with the powerless. Compassion means full immersion in the condition of being human.
”

— Henri Nouwen, Compassion, 4.

Buechner on Tears

“Whenever you find tears in your eyes, especially unexpected tears, it is well to pay the closest attention. They are not only telling you something about the secret of who you are but, more often than not, God is speaking to you through them of the mystery of where you have come from and is summoning you to where, if your soul is to be saved, you should go to next.
”

— Frederick Buechner, Crazy, Holy, Grace: The Healing Power of Pain and Memory, 60.

Tolkein: The Hound and the Hare

The poet Francis Thompson wrote a piece that had a profound impact on J.R.R. Tolkein, famous author of The Lord of the Rings. The poem is entitled The Hound of Heaven. Below is what Tolkein had to say after reading it. He thought of his conversion in the picturesque way of depicting himself as a rabbit and God as the Hunting Dog. Beautiful.

“As the hound follows the hare, never ceasing in its running, ever drawing nearer in the chase, with unhurrying and steady pace, so does God follow the fleeing soul by his divine grace. And though in sin or in human love, away from God it seeks to hide itself, divine grace follows after, unwearyingly follows ever after, till the soul feels its pressure forcing it to turn to him alone in that never ending pursuit.

”

— J.R.R. Tolkein

Frederick Buechner on Grace

“After centuries of handling and mishandling, most religious words have become so shopworn nobody's much interested anymore. Not so with grace, for some reason. Mysteriously, even derivatives like gracious and graceful still have some of the bloom left.

Grace is something you can never get but can only be given. There's no way to earn it or deserve it or bring it about any more than you can deserve the taste of raspberries and cream or earn good looks or bring about your own birth.

A good sleep is grace and so are good dreams. Most tears are grace. The smell of rain is grace. Somebody loving you is grace. Loving somebody is grace. Have you ever tried to love somebody?

A crucial eccentricity of the Christian faith is the assertion that people are saved by grace. There's nothing you have to do. There's nothing you have to do. There's nothing you have to do.

The grace of God means something like: "Here is your life. You might never have been, but you are, because the party wouldn't have been complete without you. Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid. I am with you. Nothing can ever separate us. It's for you I created the universe. I love you."

There's only one catch. Like any other gift, the gift of grace can be yours only if you'll reach out and take it.

Maybe being able to reach out and take it is a gift too.”

 – Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking: A Theological ABC, 33.

N.T. Wright on The Unthinkable Family

“...in the ancient Near East the idea of a single community across the traditional boundaries of culture, gender, and ethnic and social groupings was unheard of. Unthinkable, in fact. But there it was. A new kind of “family” had come into existence. Its focus of identity was Jesus; its manner of life was shaped by Jesus; its characteristic mark was believing allegiance to Jesus.

”

— N.T. Wright, Paul: A Biography, pp. 90-91

St. Augustine on the Great Bear and Greater God

 If a person understands the circling of the Great Bear constellation but doesn’t know the Great God who put the Great Bear in the sky, then that person misses out on so much whereas if a person knows the Great God but doesn’t understand the astrological phenomenon in the sky, they possess more than the most skilled astronomer in NASA.

“Yet, O Lord God of Truth, is any man pleasing to thee because he knows these things? No, for surely that man is unhappy who knows these things and does not know thee. And that man is happy who knows thee, even though he does not know these things. He who knows both thee and these things is not the more blessed for his learning, for thou only art his blessing, if knowing thee as God he glorifies thee and gives thanks and does not become vain in his thoughts.

For just as that man who knows how to possess a tree, and give thanks to thee for the use of it—although he may not know how many feet high it is or how wide it spreads—is better than the man who can measure it and count all its branches, but neither owns it nor knows or loves its Creator: just so is a faithful man who possesses the world’s wealth as though he had nothing, and possesses all things through his union through thee, whom all things serve, even though he does not know the circlings of the Great Bear. Just so it is foolish to doubt that this faithful man may truly be better than the one who can measure the heavens and number the stars and weigh the elements, but who is forgetful of thee “who hast set in order all things in number, weight, and measure.”

— St. Augustine, Book Five, ch. 4.7

Timothy Keller on Miracles

““We modern people think of miracles as the suspension of the natural order, but Jesus meant them to be the restoration of the natural order. The Bible tells us that God did not originally make the world to have disease, hunger, and death in it. Jesus has come to redeem where it is wrong and heal the world where it is broken. His miracles are not just proofs that he has power but also wonderful foretastes of what he is going to do with that power. Jesus’ miracles are not just a challenge to our minds, but a promise to our hearts, that the world we all want is coming.””

— Timothy Keller, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism, pp.95-6.

Truth & Beauty: St. Augustine on Jesus Running Through the World Looking for You and Me!

In the middle of Book Four, Augustine finally leans in and tells us the gospel and it is just beautiful!

“He is within the inmost heart, yet the heart has wandered away from him. Return to your heart, O you transgressors, and hold fast to him who made you. Stand with him and you shall stand fast. Rest in him and you shall be at rest. Where do you go along these rugged paths? Where are you going? The good that you love is from him, and insofar as it is also for him, it is both good and pleasant. But it will rightly be turned to bitterness if whatever comes from him is not rightly loved and if he is deserted for the love of the creature. Why then will you wander farther and farther in these difficult and toilsome ways? There is no rest where you seek it. Seek what you seek; but remember that it is not where you seek it. You seek for a blessed life in the land of death. It is not there. For how can there be a blessed life where life itself is not?” But our very Life came down to earth and bore our death, and slew it with the very abundance of his own life. And, thundering, he called us to return to him into that secret place from which he came forth to us—coming first into the virginal womb, where the human creature, our mortal flesh, was joined to him that it might not be forever mortal—and came “as a bridegroom coming out his chamber, rejoicing as a strong man to run a race.” For he did not delay, but ran through the world, crying out by words, deeds, death, life, descent, ascension—crying aloud to us to return to him.”

— St. Augustine, Confessions, Book 4, ch. 12.19

Truth & Beauty: St. Augustine on the Power of a Praying Mother

Augustine has almost nothing to say about his own father and what he does say isn’t good. However, he speaks fondly of his mother and was humbled by God’s grace through her life shown to him.

“And now thou didst ‘stretch forth thy hand from above’ and didst draw up my soul out of that profound darkness [of Manicheism] because my mother, thy faithful one, wept to thee on my behalf more than mothers are accustomed to weep for the bodily deaths of their children. For by the light of the faith and spirit which she received from thee, she saw that I was dead. And thou didst hear her, O Lord, thou didst hear her and despised not her tears when, pouring down, they watered the earth under her eyes in every place where she prayed. Thou didst truly hear her.”

— St. Augustine, Book Three, ch. 11.19

Truth & Beauty: St. Augustine on Confessing the Essence of his Sin

Augustine and his friends called themselves the “Overturners” or the “Destructors.” They were wild high school aged boys that so loved getting into trouble. I can relate. Here, in this section, he remembers a time when the Destructors stole pears from a vineyard and threw them away to some hogs. He presses to the “why” behind the “what” of his sin.

“There was a pear tree close to our own vineyard, heavily laden with fruit, which was not tempting either for its color or for its flavor. Late one night—having prolonged our games in the streets until then, as our bad habit was—a group of young scoundrels, and I among them, went to shake and rob this tree. We carried off a huge load of pears, not to eat ourselves, but to dump out to the hogs, after barely tasting some of them ourselves. Doing this pleased us all the more because it was forbidden. Such was my heart, O God, such was my heart—which thou didst pity even in that bottomless pit. Behold, now let my heart confess to thee what it was seeking there, when I was being gratuitously wanton, having no inducement to evil but the evil itself. It was foul, and I loved it. I loved my own undoing. I loved my error—not that for which I erred but the error itself. A depraved soul, falling away from security in thee to destruction in itself, seeking nothing from the shameful deed but shame itself.”

— St. Augustine, Confessions, Book Two, ch. 4.9